June, 14 2019, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Contact Paul Kawika Martin at 951-217-7285, or,email Paul,.,Contact Jon Rainwater at 510-469-3700, or,email Jon,.
High Tensions in the Persian Gulf Require 'Maximum Restraint,' Not 'Maximum Pressure'
In response to heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf resulting from recent attacks on oil tankers and escalatory U.S. policies towards Iran, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement:
"Recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the resulting increase in tensions in the region are deeply concerning. Contradictory reports and accusations surrounding these incidents highlight the need for thorough, independent UN investigations.
WASHINGTON
In response to heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf resulting from recent attacks on oil tankers and escalatory U.S. policies towards Iran, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement:
"Recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the resulting increase in tensions in the region are deeply concerning. Contradictory reports and accusations surrounding these incidents highlight the need for thorough, independent UN investigations.
"If an independent investigation were to find that Iran is in fact responsible for any of these attacks, that is all the more reason to pursue diplomacy with Iran to immediately deescalate tensions and reduce the risk of war. Sadly, the administration has refused to engage in good-faith diplomacy, opting instead for threats, military posturing, and crippling economic sanctions that all make productive dialogue with Iran improbable.
"It's critical to remember that the Trump administration's policies towards Iran, beginning with the unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement despite Iran's verifiable compliance, are responsible for this crisis. It's fair to say that Trump's policy of 'maximum pressure' on Iran is achieving the opposite of its stated objectives--creating increased conflict and roadblocks rather than channels for renewed diplomacy. The administration should take this opportunity to reevaluate its policies and pursue a strategy of 'maximum restraint' as our European allies have called for. In the meantime, Congress should work to ensure that the president respects its constitutional authority over war by passing legislation to prevent an unauthorized war with Iran."
Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.
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The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee warned Friday that President-elect Donald Trump is planning to "steal from the programs and services that affect middle-class, working, and vulnerable families" by refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said in a statement that Trump's strategy, known as "impoundment," is "uninformed and unconstitutional," adding that "the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Government Accountability Office are all in agreement—the Constitution provides no impoundment power to the president to unilaterally withhold funds appropriated by Congress."
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In a new fact sheet, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee note that "the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, and nowhere does it give the president any unilateral power to either temporarily or permanently impound—steal, withhold, or prevent from being spent—funds appropriated by Congress."
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Trump has explicitly vowed to use impoundment to "squeeze the bloated federal bureaucracy for massive savings," a plan endorsed by the billionaire pair tapped by the president-elect to run a new commission tasked with identifying spending and regulations to slash.
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Following Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's visit to Capitol Hill on Thursday to discuss their plans for the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) with GOP lawmakers, The Washington Postreported that Republicans are "keen on expanding the president's power to impound spending—or refuse to spend money Congress authorizes."
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Analysts argue Trump's plan to withhold federal spending would run afoul of the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The law, as Propublica's Molly Redden explained, "forbids presidents from blocking spending over policy disagreements."
"A similar power grab led to his first impeachment," Redden wrote. "During his first term, Trump held up nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine while he pressured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to open a corruption investigation into Joe Biden and his family. The U.S. Government Accountability Office later ruled his actions violated the Impoundment Control Act."
Democrats on the House Budget Committee recently pointed out that "although decided after the ICA passed, the Supreme Court unanimously held in Train v. City of New York that even without the ICA, the president does not have unilateral authority to impound funds."
That hasn't stopped Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy from exploring ways to cut or block spending without congressional approval.
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Housing assistance, childcare aid, student loan programs, and other spending would also be vulnerable under such an approach.
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During the campaign, Trump pledged to roll back Biden's climate policies if Big Oil poured $1 billion into getting him elected. He also attacked the Democrat's efforts to promote a shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Transportation accounts for the largest portion of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and the United States is the world's top historic emitter.
Even under Biden, U.S. plans to limit planet-heating pollution did not align with the country's contributions to the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency—but climate scientists and advocates widely backed his and later Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign leading up to last month's election, recognizing the threat posed by Trump.
John Hanger, a Democrat who previously held various envirnomental and energy positions in Pennsylvania's government, responded to the Reuters reporting on social media: "Ugh! Canceling contracts to electrify transportation of USPS would be dirty and dumb!"
Meanwhile, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said that "it's stuff like this that will cost us manufacturing jobs/opportunities."
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Despite efforts to salvage the ACA subsidies due to the pain and economic suffering that would follow if they are not extended, progressives across the board continue to argue that Obamacare—which sends billions of federal dollars to the private insurance industry—is a far inferior solution compared with Medicare for All, which would cover everyone in the United States at a lower overall cost than the current system.
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